Sunday, November 5, 2017

For
the past six weeks I have been speaking of our spiritual life and how it
affects our stewardship life, and now I ask, “Where do we go from here?” Our
faith life is dependent upon our economic well-being, our personal faith, our
spiritual satisfaction, and our commitment to God. We may talk about not
feeling connected to our church, but the more basic concern is separation from
God – the source of all that we are and
all that we have. Are you grateful for all that God has done for you –for God’s
love and mercy and care? Are you confidant of your place in God’s kingdom and
the good news of Jesus’ Gospel?

Our spiritual journey follows a complicated and circuitous
pathway. It leads us away from and toward our destination with startling and upsetting
detours. Sometimes we feel secure in our voyage and confident in our
destination. At other times we are alarmed by the lack of empathy and love we
feel for those things which we once held near and dear to our hearts. We are prone
to wander as we long for God – hungering for God’s love – searching for
something to fill what can only be described as a “God-shaped-hole” in our
hearts. Whether we are believers on not, God has sovereignty over our lives and
made to be God’s children and adopted heirs of God’s kingdom. And when we allow our secular world and the
culture in which we live to trick us into doubting or denying God, our
spiritual health is endangered.

What can we do if this describes our own situation?
How can we bridge the gap between our spiritual life and God – between where we
are (spiritually) and where our heart longs to be? Well – the first thing to do
is realize that we cannot bridge the gap by increasing our payment of ‘dues’ to
the church club. We cannot become spiritually well by opening our checkbook to
God to prove our faithfulness and love toward God.

We need to reach across the gulf that has developed
between ourselves and God by reaching out – by reaffirming our love for God and
for the many blessings we have received from God! We need to recognize that
when a gap between us and God develops it is because we have moved away from
each other. And when there is a distance between us, who do you think has moved
to make that distance – you or God?

God
cannot bridge the gap that has developed between us. We must make the first move
and become the disciples of Jesus we were meant to be. By praying, worshiping,
studying, loving our neighbors in community, and serving – and then we can be good
stewards.